Fifteen, Sixteen, Sisters at War
by Otorisosa-kan
Summary: Once upon a time, there were two sisters, Anne and Zenna Miller. Orphaned at a very young age, these sisters learnt to cope with life on the streets of Bern. Both identical yet destined to different fates.
1. Chapter 1

_Once upon a time, there were two sisters, Anne and Zenna Miller. Orphaned at a very young age, these sisters learnt to cope with life on the streets of Bern. Both identical yet destined to different fates. The older sister, Anne, could only do so much to protect her younger and weaker sister. I recall meeting the two street urchins when they visited the spot where their parents passed away. How sweet, little Zenna at the age of eight demanded for their life to return back to normal. It was the perfect opportunity._

_"Good evening," I greeted them and summoned two soulless Akuma "I can bring your Mama and Papa back from that hateful God who took them away from you."_

_The older sister looked sceptical however her sister seemed pleased._

_"Here are two bodies to put their souls into, however only one person can call one soul each. You two had such a deep bond with each of your parents so only you can call them."_

_"Anne, we can bring Mama and Papa back!" Zenna exclaimed._

_The older sister was looking up at me, stubbornness radiating off her._

_"It can't be that easy," she said._

_"Now, now, don't you want to bring your parents back? You can go back to being a happy family!"_

_"We'd be going against God's will," Anne asserted._

_Oh my, a loyal follower._

_"Anne, he took them away from us," Zenna insisted "He isn't on our side if he doesn't want us to be happy!"_

_"Yes, yes, reclaim your parents! Take them back from your spiteful God! Call for their souls with all your heart."_

_The younger twin, eager to be reunited with her beloved parents, rushed towards the first Akuma body._

_"Mama!" she cried._

_A flash of light struck as the soul was brought down from the heavens and into the body. The name Vanessa inscribed itself on the helmet and it began to move. Hope filled the young girl's eyes as Vanessa uttered her name._

_"Mama!" she whispered happily._

_"How could you?!"_

_The hope was dashed in the poor girl's eyes as her mother shouted at her spitefully._

_"How could you turn me into an Akuma?! You selfish child!"_

_"Vanessa," I said to her and held Zenna out to her "You belong to me now. Here is your first order: kill your own child and wear her body!"_

_"Zenna, no!"_

_I never saw it coming. A flash of green, which I could only know to be Innocence, zipped past me and the child in my hands was taken from me. It was very quick but I did hear the sound of metal snickering through the body before me. Vanessa let out a pained scream as she was died, her daughters standing behind her, watching in shock and surprise. The green glow originated from the elder sister's back but before I could inspect closer, they fled._

* * *

_I met the sisters again six years later when the most curious thing occurred. The younger sister, Zenna, had taken seriously ill and Anne had no choice but to take her to the church for help. Tyki-pet informed me that the girl had developed stigmata across her forehead, signalling that she had Noah genes in her. It was strange, why was one twin getting the stigmata but not the other? And were there not fourteen members to the clan of Noah?_

_When we arrived at the room where the sisters were staying, poor Zenna was awake, suffering from the stigmata. Her sister, still loyal as ever, had fallen asleep by her bedside._

_"Why?" she was whimpering "Why have you turned your back on me? Why is Anne better than me? Why do you favour her? Am I supposed to die?"_

_"Aw, poor Zenna," I said as we approached the twins "Has your God brought you more misery and turmoil?"_

_Her eyes went wide with recognition. She didn't try to move away because she was too weak but I established I was not a threat by sympathising with her pain._

_"There, there, let it out," I soothed as we cried together._

_"There's no need to despair anymore," Tyki-pet soothed "We can bring you to our family, you can be happy."_

_"And…Anne?"_

_We all looked at the slumbering sister and I remembered the Innocence she held._

_"She cannot come because she wasn't chosen," I said as Tyki-pet lifted Anne's shirt to look at the Innocence that seemed to be embedded into her back._

_"But she's my sister," Zenna reached out for her sister._

_"You can have a new sister," Tyki-pet said as he prepared to gouge the Innocence out of Anne's back then kill her "We can all be happy together."_

_"What are you doing?" Zenna rasped._

_Anne woke the moment Tyki-pet's fingertips went into her body and she recognized me._

_"You!" she said and Tyki held her down "Oi, get off me!"_

_Her Innocence was activated and Tyki-pet avoided the wings that came out and tried to slice him. Anne soared into the air and looked down at us in her sleepy state._

_"I will not let you kill us!" she declared and charged at us._

_Tyki-pet blocked her attack as I picked Zenna up._

_"Tyki-pet, it would be best to make sure she doesn't see the dawn," I advised as the older sister persisted to attack._

_"Zenna!"_

_I returned to the ark with the newest Noah as Tyki-pet went to take care of the older sister. But as fate would have it, Tyki-pet returned unsuccessful, claiming that her Innocence gave its wielder speed that outmatched the Tease and his own. I didn't look into it. Fourteen years of age, no-one to hold trust in and no apparent training from exorcists. She will appear again shortly and we will get rid of her. In the meantime, however, we need to welcome our new family member._

* * *

Both brawlers were pushed back, the rain sticking to them, out of breath and their weapons raised high. Anne's magenta eyes burned angrily, glaring at her attacker. Kanda narrowed his own eyes.

"Give it up," he said "If you don't come with me to the Black Order, you are as good as dead."

"I can't trust you," Anne snarled "I can't trust anyone! I can only stand by God."

"The Black Order is on the side of God," Kanda explained "You can become an exorcist and help fight against the Millennium Earl and his Akuma."

"Akuma?"

Anne stepped back warily, staring into Kanda's eyes.

"Who's the Millennium Earl?" she asked.

"He makes Akuma and uses human souls to turn them into weapons."

Anne looked away in thought, biting her lip. That sounded a lot like the man who had approached her and Zenna. If she joined this order then there's a chance that she could find her sister. Four years it's been since the stigmata appeared and she was taken away. Had God sent this man to her? Was she meant to join the Order? Anne's wings folded themselves back into her back as she glared at Kanda seriously.

"I don't like this at all," she said "And the moment I sense something funny, I'm out."

"Che."

Kanda sheathed his katana and turned his back to Anne.

"Well hurry up," he said as they made their way down the Alps.

Anne hesitated and looked up at the Alps thoughtfully, where she had resided for the past few years. She silently bid farewell before running after Kanda so he could take her to the Black Order.


	2. Chapter 2

Anne sat opposite the Japanese man in the boat, waiting patiently as they were taken deeper into the Order. She looked around in awe, leaning over the boat's ledge and poking the water, making ripples. Kanda ignored her, just waiting with slight impatience. Anne looked ahead and saw torches lit with a young girl waiting for them.

"Oh, Kanda!" she exclaimed "Welcome back!"

"Hn."

Kanda strode past her as he got off, Anne following him closely. He abruptly stopped, making her smack into his back.

"Stop following me," he said as Anne stepped back with a pained whine, rubbing her nose.

Anne glared at him as he walked away and huffed, puffing her cheeks out.

"Don't mind him, he just gets a bit grumpy after coming home," the girl said as she came up to Anne "Nice to meet you, my name is Lenalee Lee."

Anne turned to her and stared at Lenalee warily and not taking her hand to shake it.

"Anne Miller," she said and folded her arms.

"Well, nice to meet you, Anne," Lenalee smiled "Welcome home!"

Anne didn't respond as Lenalee led her through. She looked around the Order curiously. She couldn't remember the last time she had been inside a building. She reached up and fingered her mother's cross that she found in the remains of their home after it went up in flames. She gritted her teeth when she suddenly remembered the last time she had been inside.

"You alright?" Lenalee asked.

"I'm fine," Anne replied darkly "Where are we going?"

"Oh, we all have our Innocence checked when joining the Order."

"Innocence?"

"My big brother will explain all of it," Lenalee smiled "Then after we get you examined, I'll show you around and then your room."

"My room?" Anne echoed "What does that room…do?"

Lenalee laughed and smiled at her.

"It's where you sleep and spend time to yourself," she explained "Haven't you ever…had your own room?"

Anne gave her a small glare then turned away from her.

"I always slept outside."

"Lenalee!"

"Komui!"

Anne suddenly found her nose inches away from another man's nose, his glasses glinting in the light.

"Oh ho, so this is the new exorcist?" he said "I look forward to-"

Anne swung a punch into his face after regaining her senses.

"Touch me and it will be the last thing you will ever do," she snarled at the crippled man on the floor.

"Ah, Anne, this is my elder brother Komui, he's the Director of the Black Order," Lenalee said "Komui, you shouldn't surprise people like that."

Komui recovered and adjusted his glasses.

"Forgive me, I am very eager to take a look at your Innocence," he said and rubbed his hands together "Uh, where do you keep it?"

"Could you first tell me what this Innocence is?" Anne asked with an annoyed look.

"As you probably know, we fight against Akuma and the Millennium Earl," Komui began explaining "Innocence is a material used to make weapons and it's the only way to kill Akuma."

"Weapon?" Anne echoed "Hm."

She pulled her hair up and let the Innocence embedded into her back open her wings.

"Oh, a Parasite type, eh?"

Anne tensed up when Komui whipped out a drill.

"Let's take a closer look!"

"Don't you dare come near me with that!" Anne screeched as she shot up and hit her head on the ceiling "Ow!"

"Now, now, you'll get hurt like that," Komui scolded as Anne dropped back down to the floor, holding her head "Come on, let me take a look at those wings."

"You dare and I will make sure you'll never have any children!" Anne screamed as she ran out.

"Anne!"

"I knew this was a bad idea!"

* * *

An hour later had a very wary Anne travelling down the platform with Komui, her back sore and bruised.

"You could have paralysed me," she muttered.

"I was careful."

"You could have damaged my spine."

"You seem to know an awful lot about the human body for a street urchin."

Anne flinched as Komui took a sip out of his mug.

"If you must know, my father was a doctor who looked into getting my Innocence out," she explained "He said it would be hazardous because he might kill me, considering where it's placed."

"Hm, I see," Komui hummed as the platform stopped "Well, I doubt he would have managed to remove it without the knowledge of Innocence."

Anne didn't respond and tensed when white tendrils wrapped around her.

"What…?"

She screamed and thrashed about as she was lifted up. She strained to open her wings, only to find that Komui had indeed paralysed her Innocence so she wouldn't be able to attack.

"What's going on?!" she shrieked and stared up in horror as the exorcist revealed herself.

"Anne, meet Hevlaska," Komui said brightly.

"Put me down, let me go, what are you doing?!" Anne screamed as she thrashed about.

"Innocence…"

"I knew this was a bad idea!"

* * *

"You must be tired," Lenalee smiled sympathetically as Anne dragged herself behind her.

"This was a bad idea, I want to go home," she murmured sullenly.

"Here we are," Lenalee opened the bedroom door "Here's your room."

Anne stepped in as Lenalee bid goodnight to her and left. She looked around, her eyes landing on the bed. She narrowed her eyes.

"Damn it, why does everything I look at remind me of that time?" she asked and clenched her fists "It's not fair."

She threw herself onto the bed and buried her face into the pillow. She closed her eyes to try and fall asleep. She then realised that she wasn't so used to sleeping inside so got up and took a walk. It took her outside where she saw Kanda staring out of the window. Curious, she joined him and saw what the outside of the Order looked like.

"Didn't I tell you to not follow me?"

"Don't flatter yourself, I was just wondering what you were staring at."

Anne sucked her lip in to nibble on it and noticed a figure climb over the ledge. She watched him make his way over to the main entrance.

"Tch," Kanda looked mildly annoyed.

"What's wrong with you?" Anne raised an eyebrow.

"Shut up."

Anne sneered and looked back down.

"Excuse me!" he called once reached the entrance "My name is Allen Walker and I've come on General Cross Marian's recommendation. I'd like to speak to the Order's management!"

He looked around a couple of times before looking up at the face by the door.

"Hello?"

It suddenly lurched over him, giving both him and Anne a fright.

"The hell is that?!" she exclaimed.

"Shut up."

"Get bent."

"X-ray inspection!" the face said "Distinguish whether the subject is human or Akuma!"

"Oh useful," Anne commented as Allen was engulfed by light.

"Shut up."

"Get bent."

"It's not working," the face said "is it a bug perhaps?"

Anne jumped when he suddenly bellowed.

"He's an Akuma!" he bellowed "He's cursed! He's failed! Failed! That's a pentacle! The mark of Akuma! He's with the Millennium Earl!"

"Is he crying?" Anne squinted.

"Shut up," Kanda took out his katana.

"Get bent."

"Intruder alert! Intruder alert!"

Kanda leapt down, his aim directed towards Allen.

"You're mighty bold to have come alone," he said.

"W-Wait a minute!" Allen exclaimed as Anne sat down, watching the drama "There must be some kind of misunderstanding!"

"Mugen!" Kanda unsheathed his sword that let out a yellow glow.

"Oooh, flashy," Anne commented.

He jumped down, slashing at Allen whose arm got bigger and turned silver. Kanda took a swing and managed to injure his arm, leaving a gash.

"What's with that arm?" he asked.

"It's an anti-akuma weapon," Allen said "I'm an exorcist."

"What?" Kanda muttered as Anne frowned in confusion "Gatekeeper!"

The poor guy was still crying.

"But you see, I really did see the pentacle! Of course he's an Akuma!"

"I'm a human!" Allen protested as he ran up to him.

"Ah, don't touch me!"

"I might be a little cursed but I'm still a human!"

"A little cursed?" Anne echoed.

"Very well then," Kanda raised his blade again "I will believe it when I see your guts!"

Anne raised her eyebrows in alarm as the yellow aura got more vicious.

"This illusion will rend you in two!" he declared and charged at Allen.

"Suddenly I'm grateful he wasn't trying to kill me," Anne murmured.

"Wait!" Allen cried "No, wait! I'm really not your enemy! There should be a letter of recommendation from General Cross!"

Kanda held back, the blade inches away from Allen's face. Anne raised her eyebrows again.

"Wow…"

"A letter of recommendation from the General?" Kanda echoed.

"Yes, it was addressed to someone called Komui…"

There was some awkward silence for a while, Kanda did not move a muscle, keeping Allen pinned to the wall.

"Clean your damn desk!" one of the golems shouted "Kanda! Stop the attack! Stop it, damn it!"

"O-Opening!" the gatekeeper said as the doors opened.

"Permission to enter is granted, Allen Walker!" Anne heard the doors open.

Kanda lifted his blade slightly.

"Komui?" he addressed the golem beside him "What's the meaning of this?"

"Sorry, I spoke a little too soon," Komui apologized "He was General Cross's apprentice. The fact that Timcanpy is with him is proof enough for me."

"Then why the sudden attack?" Anne murmured with a sigh.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Captain Reever?" Komui asked.

"It's my fault now?!"

"He's our friend."

"T-T-T-T-That's right!" Allen stuttered.

Kanda didn't lower his blade until Lenalee came out and hit him on the head with a clipboard.

"Really," she scolded "We told you to stop! Get in quick or the gate will shut. Get in."

Anne giggled as Kanda rubbed his head whilst they entered. She grinned and lay back, sighing.

"I knew this was a bad idea," she murmured sleepily before closing her eyes and drifting off.


	3. Chapter 3

Anne woke up to the sun rising over the horizon. She smiled at the cool breeze that passed by, the sound of the birds and the scent of dew. Yes, despite its disadvantage of being cold and damp, sleeping outside was always mildly pleasant for Anne, especially when she woke up. As Anne sat up, she noticed the blanket around her slipped and blinked in confusion. She hadn't brought out a blanket to sleep with.

"Oh, good morning, Anne," Lenalee smiled as she went by "Did you sleep well?"

"Um, yeah, sure," Anne nodded.

"You must be hungry," Lenalee offered a hand to help the elder up "I'll show you to the dining room."

Anne got up by herself and dusted herself down. She glanced at Lenalee's hurt look and shrugged.

"Since the time I nearly got my hand cut off for stealing, I've never ever offered it to anyone," she explained.

"Oh, I see," Lenalee smiled amusedly "When was that then?"

"My ninth birthday when I stole a cake," Anne shrugged and followed.

"Why didn't you go to an orphanage?" Lenalee asked.

"Never trust adults when you're a street urchin," Anne advised "They can take you away and do God knows what and no-one will care."

"Um…OK, what about relatives?"

"Mama and Papa dead, Papa was disowned by his parents and Mama never spoke of her family so we had nowhere to go."

"We?"

Anne tensed as they arrived outside the dining hall and looked up at Lenalee.

"…I had a twin sister," she murmured, rolling one shoulder.

"Oh, what happened?"

"I'd rather not say."

"Oh. OK. Well, I need to go, so see you later!"

Anne nodded and walked into the dining hall. She blinked as she recognized Allen Walker in front of her.

"Oh!" a man (woman?) stuck his (her?) head out of the kitchen and looked down at him "A new boy~? Ah, and what a cute one you are!"

Anne arrived next to Allen and he turned his (her?) sights to her.

"Ah, and an adorable little new girl too!"

"Not so much of the little," Anne growled.

"Nice to meet you!" Allen bowed to the man (woman?) "My name is Allen Walker!"

"Well, how nice and formal!" the man (woman?) was blushing "What'll it be? I'll make you anything you like!"

"Anything, eh?" Allen paused for thought "Well then… I'll have Au Gratin potatoes, French fries, dry curry, mápó dòufu, beef stew, meat pies, Carpaccio, nasi goring, chicken, tuna salad, some scones, a kuppa, a tomyank and rice… Then for dessert, I'll have some mango dessert and some dango… Let's say twenty!"

Anne stared at Allen with wide eyes. Not only had he ordered a lot of food that sounded delicious, but she hadn't understood most of what he said.

"Can you really eat all of that?" the man (woman?) asked.

"Just say that again, to my face!" came a shout.

Anne and Allen turned their attention to a couple of men towering over what looked like to be the back of Kanda.

"Hey, stop it, Buzz!" the smaller man said.

"Shut up," Kanda said as he lowered his noodles "Don't lurk around talking about your dead friends while I'm eating. You'll ruin my appetite."

Anne narrowed her eyes.

"How stuck up," she murmured.

"You…" Buzz growled "Is that how you treat your allies?! We Finders work beneath you exorcists, supporting you at the risk of our very lives! You… You… You say that ruins your appetite?!"

He pulled his fist back and swung a punch at Kanda. Kanda dodged and snatched Buzz by the throat.

"You support us?" Kanda smirked "No, you can do nothing _but _support us! You were unfit to be exorcists. You're just losers whom the Innocence refused to choose! There are plenty of replacements available for you Finders. If you don't want to die, then get out!"

He tightened his grip on Buzz's throat and the other Finders lunged to help their colleague. Allen snatched Kanda's wrist.

"Stop. I hate to barge into an argument in which I have no say, but I think your tone is simply unnecessary."

"Let me go, bean sprout," Kanda said calmly.

"Bean sprout?" Allen echoed and glanced at him "My name is Allen."

"I'll remember it if you make it a month without biting the dust," Kanda said simply "Many here die like maggots under a blowtorch. Like them…"

"Gross," Anne murmured with a raised eyebrow.

Kanda released his grip on the Finder who fell, coughing with his colleagues next to him.

"That tone is unnecessary," Allen repeated.

"Don't touch me, cursed one," Kanda said as he took his hand back "You'll die young. I hate your type."

"Well, I return the sentiment," Allen said coolly.

The Finders backed away from the aura between them. Anne walked in between them and pushed them apart.

"Now is not the time to get into a fight," she said.

"Mind your own business, short stuff."

Anne glared at Kanda.

"I'm not that short," she snarled.

"Whatever."

Soon it was Anne next to Allen giving Kanda death looks until Lenalee came in.

"There they are, Captain Reever."

Reever came in with his hands full of books.

"Ah, yes, there they are," he said "Kanda! Allen!"

All three of them turned to Lenalee and Reever. Reever was nervously crouched behind Lenalee.

"Come to the commander's room. You got a mission."

Anne watched the two leave and felt her stomach rumble.

"Oh, Anne, we will be checking up with your wings," Lenalee called "Um, just wondering, do you have a name for them?"

"Name?" Anne murmured "Not really. But if you want me to…"

She hummed and frowned thoughtfully.

"I always referred them as a gift from God so…the Wings of God?"

Lenalee smiled and nodded.

"Right, I'll get you after you've eaten," she said before following after Reever and the other two exorcists.

Anne turned to the chef who had Allen's order finished.

"Well…I don't suppose you could help him eat this, could you?" he (she?) shrugged.

Anne sat herself down in front of the dishes and poked at the potatoes curiously.

"Well…I could eat."

And with that, she began stuffing her face to satisfy her appetite as a Parasite Innocence Wielder.


	4. Chapter 4

"There we go, the sensors have been placed," Johnny said as he and Tapp sat in the observation room.

Anne rolled her shoulders with a frown at the things sticking to her body. She bounced on the balls of her feet to keep warm, it was kind of chilly being clothed with nothing but a bra and shorts.

"We're ready to go, Anne!"

Anne closed her eyes. The crucifix on her back glowed before releasing the bone structure of her wings, spreading them out, ready to take flight.

"Right, just releasing God's Wings puts immediate strain on the body," came the voices "Anne, how long exactly have you been coping with this?"

"Ten years," Anne replied as she flexed her wings.

"Huh, and you can't feel your body trying to resist the Innocence?"

"It hurts a bit at first but when I get going, it's fine."

They began murmuring something about adrenaline as she rolled her shoulders.

"And you haven't ever had trouble with controlling them?"

"It's like a second nature," Anne replied and waved her wings.

"That makes sense, the Innocence seems to be connected to your spine, linking it to your nervous system."

Anne stretched her body out as they began murmuring more about her.

"And is that the only form it takes?"

"When I want to fly and attack," Anne confirmed and closed her eyes, linking her fingers together "When I want to protect myself…"

Her wings folded themselves and glowed a deep purple aura. They quivered and morphed into a circular shield on her back. She reached around and tapped on the metal.

"I can't fly but I can at least endure some attacks," she explained.

"And is that all?"

"That's all I know."

"Right, can we take another look at wings you use to attack?"

Anne's shield unfurled itself and her attacking wings spread themselves out. The ridges gleamed in the light, indicating how sharp they were. Anne flapped them once and lifted herself off the ground as targets were presented to her.

"So demonstrate what you know with those set of wings."

Anne's wings flapped again to keep her suspended in air as she aligned her body into a horizontal position before seemingly flickering from one side of the room to the next. The targets split in half as a commotion went on in the observation room.

"That was fast!" Tapp exclaimed as Anne lowered herself down, falling to one knee and gasping for breath.

"That's…as fast as I can go," she breathed and went down onto both her hands to support herself.

"Did you exert yourself? That can't be too healthy."

Anne retracted her wings and lay herself out on her back, breathing heavily.

"How many times have you exerted yourself like this?"

"Just…the one time," Anne murmured as she looked away when she remembered the day her sister got taken away.

She was taken out on a stretcher and to the medical room to get examined further.

"I see, I knew you wouldn't be able to fly with just your short stature alone," Johnny murmured.

"Don't call me short, I'll chop you into my dinner," Anne snarled as she flexed her hand.

"Well, normal humans aren't designed to use wings but your bone structure is much lighter and more delicate than normal human bones," Tapp said at the monitor "Have you ever broken any of your bones simply by being pushed over?"

"No, but that happened to Z-" Anne held her tongue and shook her head "My twin sister had brittle bones. My bones were fine but I did break my hand once or twice fairly easily."

"Huh, your Innocence must have protected your bone structure which isn't surprising given the positioning…"

"Was your sister an identical twin?"

"Yes, the only physical difference between us was my Innocence," Anne replied.

"Hm, it would be helpful to compare you to your sister…"

"Well you can't," Anne snapped and glared at the odd looks given to her.

She lay back and sighed, twirling a strand of black hair.

"I knew this was a bad idea," she murmured.

* * *

Anne stood on the ledge of the window to her room, looking out with a passive face.

"Oi, Anne!" Lenalee called "Um, what are you doing?"

"Hm?" Anne looked over her shoulder "I'm looking outside. Why, what's up?"

"Well, you're being called down to the office. It looks like your first mission has come up!"

"Huh."

* * *

"Ah, good morning, Anne!" Komui greeted as Anne sat down on the sofa, picking up a scrap of paper to study it curiously "I see your check-up went well. Although, we could take another look at the issue with your bones and your limit. How fast do you need to go to be able to attack your opponent?"

"Fast enough, I don't know," Anne shrugged as she was handed a book for her mission "…"

She stared at the pages blankly and swallowed anxiously.

"Is something wrong?" Lenalee asked worriedly.

"I have a limited skill to reading," Anne confessed "I can't even read the Bible."

"What, really? How old were you when you were orphaned?"

"Around four," Anne grimaced.

"Well I suppose that's what I'm here for!"

Anne yelped when a man with red hair leaned over the sofa and appeared right by her face.

"The name's Lavi and-gwah!"

Anne hissed at Lavi from her place on Komui's shoulders, her wings spread out and glinting in the light.

"Idiot," a smaller man muttered as Lavi lay on the paper covered floor, sporting a red mark on his face.

"Come near me and I will make sure you lose the other eye, patchy," she snarled.

"Ah, sorry, sorry!" Lavi grinned as he sat up, rubbing his cheek sorely then looked through the small book "Well, it looks like it's just a simple Akuma elimination job. Hey, that way we can keep an eye on your skills and make sure you don't overdo it, huh?"

Anne was still giving him the evil eyes whilst perched on top of Komui, her wings glinting ominously. The older man stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"Nice to meet you," he said "I have no name so you may refer to me as Bookman."

"Noted," Anne nodded.

"So, off to Nice!" Lavi cheered as Anne jumped off Koumi.

* * *

Anne pulled at the skirt of the uniform down uncomfortably, blushing and growling to herself.

"Hey, it looks cute on you," Lavi complimented.

"Don't call me cute," Anne growled and scratched her head "Aw, it's so weird to have my hair tied up like this…"

"Hey, if you let me I could plat it for you."

"Touch me and you'll be blind," Anne growled as she shifted to her end of the train booth and curled herself into a ball, glaring at the Bookmen on the other side.

She snarled and pulled her skirt down more. She sorely wished she had trousers like Lavi for her exorcist uniform. The top was designed to expose her back so her Innocence could release her wings without ruining the uniform. She looked out of the window curiously at the passing scenery through France. She looked up in awe at the balls of greenery attached to the trees.

"That's mistletoe," Lavi supplied the answer to her unanswered question "They grow on other plants to survive."

"Huh."

Anne felt her eyelids grow heavy before she eventually relaxed and fell asleep.

* * *

Anne woke to someone humming and glared at Lavi who had sat next to her, platting her ponytail.

"Oh, hi!" he grinned "Bookman fell asleep and I got bored."

Anne kept her glare on him but closed her eyes again.

"I'll allow it because I'm too tired to take your eye out," she grumbled.

Lavi smiled as he continued platting her ponytail until it was all done and used another hair tie to keep it in place.

"Heh, Yu will never let me finish platting his hair," Lavi said as he examined his work "You have long hair…"

"It was longer before the others cut and cleaned it," Anne murmured.

Lavi smiled wider as he shifted up the seats to give her space.

"So, I heard you don't trust adults but you're eighteen right?" he said "Well I'm eighteen too."

"You look older," Anne said bluntly.

"Ouch."

Anne pulled on her skirt more with an annoyed groan. She closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep for the rest of the journey.


	5. Chapter 5

"Strike!"

Anne raised an eyebrow as Lavi went all doe-eyed at the girls in bathing suits on the beach. Bookman gave him a swift slap to snap him out of it.

"Idiot," he murmured "Focus, this isn't a holiday."

Anne walked along the beach wall, gazing out at the sea in awe. She hadn't seen it with her very own eyes before. It was beautiful, the sun sparkling on the waves, the pleasant breeze that cooled her skin from the heat of the sun and the crashing of the waves on the beach. Anne suddenly felt a bit more grateful to be an exorcist if she could go to places like these.

"Anne, watch out!"

Anne didn't notice the break in the wall and fell down with a splat onto the pavement. She got up to her knees, holding her nose with tears pricking her eyes.

"You OK?" Lavi asked as he crouched in front of her.

"I think my nose is broken," Anne gritted out in a nasal voice.

Lavi's eye widened as he saw blood coming out between her fingers.

"Let me see."

Anne hissed and turned away from Bookman as he approached her.

"You can trust me, if it is broken I can fix it," Bookman said.

Anne glared at him from her place and switched her glare to Lavi when he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, he won't try anything in public if that's what you're worried about," he said "Come on, you can hold my hand in case you need it."

He gave a cheeky grin and Anne just intensified her glare. She gave another look at Bookman before slowly getting up and sitting down on the beach wall with Lavi next to her, squeezing her hand tightly as she let the older man take a look at her nose.

"No, it's not broken, it's fine," he said after a while and brought out a handkerchief to clean up the blood.

Anne snatched her hand out of Lavi's grip and stood when Bookman stepped away. She took in a deep breath to test her nose before walking off with them trailing behind.

"Akuma can look like anyone, huh?" she said when they stopped by a café "Scary. How do we know which human is actually an Akuma?"

"We don't," Lavi replied as he passed her a milkshake.

Anne eyed the brown drink warily, watching Lavi drink his own before taking the straw and drinking it.

"Mmm, what is this?" she asked.

"It's a chocolate milkshake," Lavi grinned "You never had one?"

"Chocolate? Milkshake?"

Anne took another curious sip and frowned.

"It's sweet," she murmured "I like sweet things."

Lavi sipped his milkshake as she stirred hers with the straw thoughtfully.

"So, how do we find this Akuma?" she asked as Bookman sipped his tea.

"We lure them out, you see," Lavi said as he pointed at the order's emblem "they may be concealed to us but they can't resist the opportunity to kill exorcists like us."

Anne looked down at the emblem imprinted on her uniform. She fingered it thoughtfully.

"And what if they don't come out to kill us?" she asked.

"They will, trust me," Lavi grinned.

Anne glared at him when she heard the word 'trust' and Lavi's grin faded as he sat back.

"You know it won't help our teamwork if you don't have any trust in us," he observed.

"Then why do you not give me a last name or your real name?" Anne asked sceptically as her eyes shifted between him and Bookman.

Lavi hesitated, fumbling for an answer as Anne looked up and saw the waitress towering over him. She remained silent, observing the young woman as she pulled out a knife.

"Lavi, behind you," Bookman said as he lowered his tea.

"Eh?"

Lavi managed to avoid the young woman's attack and pulled out a hammer as she turned into a ball shaped creature with gun barrels all over her. Anne and Bookman watched the young redhead being chased down the streets by the Akuma, sipping their drinks.

"You should take the opportunity to practice fighting against Akuma," Bookman said "This mission is here for you to be shown the ropes."

"I don't know, it's enjoyable to watch him dodging all those bullets," Anne said.

"It is, but it would be pointless to have come all this way for you to do nothing."

Anne drained the last of her milkshake before standing and rolling her shoulders out tiredly. She lifted her plat so it wouldn't get in the way with her wings coming out then let it down, flying after Lavi.

"Big hammer, small hammer, grow, grow, grow!"

The Akuma dodged Lavi's attack and the hammer smacked into Anne's side, sending her into the ocean.

"Eh?" Lavi's eye widened as Anne surfaced and splashed around helplessly.

The water stung in her eyes, unlike the freshwater from the cold rivers in Switzerland. Anne kicked helplessly, trying to keep her head over the water. She narrowed her eyes through the stinging at the large circular creature shooting purple bullets at the redhead. She coughed as she managed to take a gulp of air and direct her wings towards the Akuma and in a blur, it was sliced in half. Lavi managed to avoid getting caught up in the blast, eye wide in surprise.

"Um…OK?" he said and looked around "Oi, Anne! Nice shot! …Where are you?"

He yelped as a piece of a red roof tile hit him on the head. He rubbed where it had hit him and looked up to see a limp looking Anne draped over the side of one of the roofs of the buildings aligned on the coast.

* * *

Anne woke up slowly to the feeling of…needles sticking into her skin?! She took in a breath and heard Bookman's voice.

"Don't move."

Anne held her breath with a soft squeak.

"But you can breathe."

Anne let out a relieved sigh. She felt him pulling his needles out of her and once the last one was out, she snapped her eyes open to glare at Bookman.

"What are you trying to pull by sticking holes into me?!" she shrieked.

"Acupuncture is an effective way to heal pain," Bookman stated "It doesn't heal bones but your Innocence linking into your spine has sped up the process of healing your recently broken hip and ribs."

"I broke my hips and ribs?!" Anne yelped.

"Your ribs narrowly avoided puncturing any internal organs, but internal bleeding is still a risk. And it was Lavi who broke your hips and ribs, the idiot."

"It was an accident, panda!"

Anne jumped when Lavi appeared seemingly out of nowhere then got Bookman's foot into his face.

"Who are you calling panda?!"

"When did he come in?" Anne murmured mostly to herself.

She slowly sat herself up, wincing at the throb and aching in her abdomen.

"Hey, you alright?" Lavi smiled as he recovered and came to her side.

"Don't touch me," Anne hissed with a venomous glare.

Lavi stepped back with a sheepish look.

"Hey, I'm sorry," he said "I didn't know you'd be that delicate for a short but strong looking girl."

"Call me short one more time and I'll break your hips and ribs," Anne snarled.

Lavi backed off, hands in the air with a nervous chuckle.

"You're kind of like Yu," he said.

"Of course I'm kind of like me, there's only one of me," Anne raised an eyebrow.

Lavi laughed a bit louder only to be gunned down by another glare.

"Um, ah-ha, you're funny," he said as Bookman cleared his stuff, murmuring about his idiotic antics "Ahem, no, Yu, y and u together, it's Kanda's first name."

"Are you comparing me to that rigid, snobbish prissy who has long hair that makes him look like a princess?" Anne asked slowly with an ominous aura building up from behind her.

"Um…well…your glares are similar?"

Anne barely winced as she released her wings.

"Miss Miller, I don't think you're in any condition to…" Bookman started as Anne whizzed into Lavi, sending him through the wall with her hands at his neck and face "Never mind."

"Wah! Old man, help!"


	6. Chapter 6

It has been a couple of days since Anne arrived back from Nice. She flexed her arms out as she arrived at the cafeteria and blinked as she waited behind Kanda.

"Uh, Yu, isn't it?" she said and Kanda turned his head slightly to look down at her venomously.

"I don't remember giving you permission to call me by my first name, short stack," he said.

"Ah, and I don't remember giving you permission to call me short, prissy," Anne narrowed her eyes and stretched her arms up over head with a loud yawn "Ugh."

"Oh, Kanda!" the chef called "Soba noodles as usual?"

Kanda took the tray from him (her?) and walked off. Anne caught a whiff of the noodles and felt her mouth water.

"Little Anne!" the chef exclaimed "I didn't see you from here!"

"Don't call me little," Anne glared up at him (her?) briefly before glancing at Kanda thoughtfully "Uh, can you cook steaks?"

"As I have said before, I can cook anything at all! Just name it."

"Then can I have twenty medium rare steaks, fifty sausages, roast pork, beef stew, roast lamb, venison, tomato soup, chocolate cake and ten strawberry tarts please?"

"Small breakfast today?" the chef gave a smirk before pushing out the dishes before her.

"Oh, and a couple of…soba noodles?" Anne frowned as she glanced at Kanda again.

That was added to the pile and Anne staggered over to sit in front of Kanda, setting her sets of noodles down in front of her first. She began watching Kanda eat his, ignoring her and fiddled with the chopsticks with a nervous bite on her lips. She observed how he went about picking the noodles then dipping them in the different sauces and other substances available on the tray. She dropped one of her chopsticks and sighed softly. Kanda grunted as he continued eating.

"Mm…" a mechanical voice stated as Anne jumped, having not seen the robot behind Kanda "Soba…noodles…"

Kanda stiffened as Anne watched in surprise when the robot lowered what looked like its head and took the noodles off Kanda's chopsticks. It actually ate the noodles. Anne took one look at Kanda's face and decided that the face he was pulling right now was one she wished to never see in the future.

"Mugen!"

In a flash the robot's head was under Kanda's foot as he ignored Komui's cries and protests in the background whilst slicing the mechanical body up. Anne noticed his noodles on the floor and picked up the other set of noodles she had gotten. She placed them on Kanda's side of the table and gave him a sharp jab in the side.

"Hey, stop throwing a hissy fit and eat your noodles," she said as he gave her a scowl "I'm still watching you eat them."

They stayed like that for a while, glaring at each other softly, not as intensely as Allen would if Kanda had just called him beansprout but intense enough to let Komui scramble the remains of his (did he just call it Komlin?) robot and mourn whilst leaving them unnoticed. Anne set them down in front of him and sat down, folding her arms patiently and giving him a look a mother would give to her stubborn child. Kanda withdrew Mugen and sat down, apparently appeased by the offering of more noodles, picking up his chopsticks and eating. Anne bit her lip in frustration as she fiddled around with her chopsticks, trying to pick at least one noodle up.

"Oi," Kanda finally said when he finished "If you can't use chopsticks, use a fork."

He picked up his tray and walked off as Anne reached out for a fork. She stared at the utensil, studying it briefly before figuring out a way to pick up noodles and eat them.

"I wonder what this is…"

That was how Anne found out the hard way that eating a whole forkful of wasabi wasn't good for first timers.

* * *

Anne woke up to a large crash from inside Headquarters. She blinked blearily as she found herself huddled on a branch, a coat covering her as a blanket. She yawned and stretched out with a satisfied sigh. She took in a deep breath and smiled at the scent of dew.

"Another beautiful day," she murmured as the morning sun rested on her skin.

"Oi, short stack!"

"Do I really need to hear prissy's voice this early in the morning?" she asked to herself with an annoyed twitch of the brow.

"Lavi, are you sure you saw her around here?"

Anne looked down and saw Kanda not very far with a golem fluttering above his shoulder.

"Sure, I'm sure!" it chirruped with Lavi's voice "She normally goes out to sleep in the trees like a little bird!"

"I'm not little," Anne grumbled as she grabbed a pinecone from the branch above her.

She tossed it at Kanda who sensed the oncoming assault, drew out Mugen and sliced it in half before it could hit him on the head.

"Aw, you're no fun," Anne huffed as she folded her coat up "What do you want, prissy?"

"You're going to be training with me today," Kanda said as he sheathed his weapon "You'd better be ready, I don't go easy on rookies, even little girls like you."

Anne climbed down the tree and glared up at him.

"I'm not little."

They stood for a brief moment, glaring at one another.

"You're about a foot shorter than me. You're little. Now come on."

Anne glared holes at Kanda's back as she followed him back to Headquarters. Anne ended up having a small breakfast (a steak, a bowl of rice, some soba noodles and a whole roast pig) before standing in front of Kanda in the dojo with her training clothes on.

"So what are we doing?" she asked.

"Without using your Innocence, fight me."

Anne blinked and swallowed, raising her fists warily. Lavi had taught her a few basic moves in hand to hand combat, so it shouldn't be too hard, right? Anne watched Kanda lie Mugen down and bring his fists up. She ran forward and swung a punch at his face which he easily blocked. Kanda observed her strength against his arm before pushing her over easily with his free arm.

"You shouldn't rush into a fight like that without having a good stance," he said as she landed flat on her back on the padded mats.

"Excuse me for being a beginner," Anne remarked.

"Stop whining, if you don't want to be a beginner anymore, you need to learn."

Anne sat up slowly, rolling her shoulders a couple of times before getting back onto her feet. She held her fists up again and they began circling one another like hungry wolves. She felt her heart beat erratically as she anticipated Kanda to strike at any moment. And when he did, she brought her wrists up to block the attack, only to get a sickening crack as his fist collided into her wrist.

"What was that just now?" Kanda asked slowly as Anne sucked in a sharp, painful breath.

"That…was your fist…dislocating…my wrist…" she whimpered as she stepped away, cradling her left wrist "Just a minute…"

She fiddled with her wrist until it popped back into place. Tears of pain were pricking the sides of her eyes as Kanda observed her.

"You're supposed to be an exorcist and yet you can get seriously injured after one hit?"

"That's why I prefer fighting with my Innocence!" Anne snapped "At least I'd be able to dodge, evade and block without risking damaging myself!"

"You can't always use your Innocence. As a Parasite Wielder, it will sap your energy until the day of your death. And in the future, there will be times when you won't be able to use your Innocence."

Anne let out a growl and glared at him whilst rubbing her wrist tenderly. The building shook for a moment and they glanced out of the dojo to see Allen run past and what looked like a bigger version of Komui's robot chasing him.

"Hmph," Kanda picked up Mugen "Stay here and meditate to calm your mind."

"Meditate?" Anne echoed as he walked out.

"Sit, close your eyes, focus on your breathing," were his orders as he disappeared around the corner.

Another tremor shook the building as Anne sat down on the mats and closed her eyes. She felt her chest move up and down as she focused on her breathing like she was told. She winced as she felt tremor after tremor come up the building.

"Right, out," Kanda said as he strolled back in with a soft smirk.

Anne opened her eyes in surprise and got up.

"Why?" she asked slowly as she took her coat and followed Kanda out of the dojo.

"Beansprout and the Science Department and bringing Headquarters down, there's no peace."

Anne followed Kanda out, glancing over her shoulder in alarm when she heard another crash. They sat outside amongst the trees, meditating. Anne felt calm as she felt her chest rise and fall with her breathing. She wasn't sure how long they stayed there but Anne opened her eyes when she heard soft chirruping. Kanda didn't take notice as she stood and began climbing one of the trees but did take out Mugen to slice a branch in half when it nearly fell on top of him.

"Sorry," Anne whispered as she received his annoyed glare.

"What are you doing?" he asked slowly.

Anne pressed a finger to her lips as she balanced herself on a tree and carefully looked at the bird's nest without touching it.

"Three little chicks but two are still in their eggs," she murmured "You must be a proud mama."

Kanda watched her as she smiled before climbing back down.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"Her nest fell down the other day and I managed to save her babies," Anne shrugged "She's still feeding them so she isn't scared of my scent I suppose but I don't take chances."

"But…why? You could just leave them alone and let nature take its course."

"I like birds and birds like me."

"I wonder why," Kanda remarked dryly.

"Tch."

Anne folded her arms with a scowl.

"Training's over anyway," Kanda said as he put Mugen away and walked back to Headquarters.

Anne scowled again and blinked as an eggshell landed on her head. She picked it off her and smiled at it wistfully.

* * *

_"Zenna, you need to be gentler," Anne scolded as she took the baby bird from Zenna's hands "It's only about a day old."_

_Zenna watched as her older sister flew up to the nest which the baby bird had fallen from to put it back._

_"Why do you have wings like that, Anne?" she asked once again._

_Anne landed next to her and dusted her hands off._

_"I don't know," she smiled sadly._

_"We could have saved Mama and Papa with your wings…"_

_Anne sat down next to Zenna and brought the thin blanket around her more._

_"I saved you from that strange man," she said "And I will keep protecting you. I promise. You're all I have left."_

* * *

Anne's fist crushed the eggshell.

"Keep protecting you? I couldn't even stop them from taking you away…"

* * *

A spoon dipped into a softboiled egg which had a comical face decorating it. It brought the contents up to the mouth of a well-built gentleman who tasted the egg before letting it ooze out with a disgusted growl.

"This isn't sweet," he stated then swung a heavy punch to the maid next to him "You piece of junk! I told you to make it sweet!"

He began punching her furiously, the sleeves of his suit tearing up as he used up his strength.

"Hey, don't show use something gross while we're eating," a younger gentleman scolded.

The buff man stood with a frustrated huff.

"I'm going home," he said "We have different tastes."

"Geez…" the slender man said "You should at least eat the egg, you sweet junkie…"

"Calm down," the young girl with blue hair said "We all gathered her to eat as a family. Right, Lord Millennium?"

All eyes were cast towards the grinning man who happily ate his egg.

"To revive our spirits, tell us why you asked us to join you for this meal," the girl requested "Is it, by any chance…?"

She took the spoon out of her mouth with a soft smile.

"…about time for us to kick things off?"

The young girl with long white hair grinned happily as she mashed her egg idly into a puddle of goo.

"How exciting," she giggled, a sadistic gleam going across her golden eyes.


End file.
